NZ soccer to increase youth focus

New Zealand soccer will increase its focus on youth development, New Zealand Football (NZF) said today.

Following a wide-ranging review of NZF competitions, NZF has pledged $450,000 over the next three seasons to the national league and National Youth League. It has also reaffirmed its commitment to the franchise-based format of the New Zealand Football Championship, currently in its sixth year and basking in the shared glow of its champion Auckland City's recent success at the Club World Cup.

On top of the three-year investment, NZF also set aside $50,000 each year for any New Zealand team winning the Oceania Champions League to assist with their preparation for the Club World Cup.

It also outlined changes to the National Youth League, Chatham Cup, and women's Knockout Cup. A decision on the national women's league has been deferred until April, allowing time to consider the best competition for elite women.

NZF chief executive Michael Glading stressed New Zealand's national league would remain amateur and entry would be by invitation only. Applications would be considered from new teams wishing to join the league in the 2010/11 season, although the number of teams would be capped at 10.

"Retaining the league's amateur status is crucial to the league's sustainability and therefore its role in developing players and officials, something with which it has had a large degree of success in recent seasons," Glading said.

"Ben Sigmund, Jeremy Brockie, Chris Wood and Marco Rojas have all made the jump to professional football from the NZFC in recent seasons, while Jacob Spoonley, Andy Barron, Jimmy Bannatyne and Aaron Scott have joined the likes of Ivan Vicelich in the All Whites, and we have two referees on the cusp of World Cup selection as well."

All eight existing franchises, currently in the final year of three-year licenses, will be invited to reapply.

Glading said the Wellington Phoenix could apply to field a reserve/youth team in the NZFC despite facing unique obstacles as the only professional club in New Zealand.

"The door is still open for the Phoenix, but there are still significant hurdles to jump in terms of accommodating a professional team in an amateur competition, not least in the eyes of Fifa."

To gain entry to the league, and retain it on a two-year rolling contract, franchises will be required to meet a set of criteria related to performance, governance and facilities.

The exact details of criteria are yet to be finalised but the fielding of a youth development squad in the National Youth League and adhering to a new framework of financial reporting back to NZF will be key.

The Chatham Cup and Women's Knockout Cup format will remain largely unchanged.

The competitions review was led by a panel including former hockey Olympian Selwyn Maister and barrister Simon Jefferson.

- NZPA